If you caught the VMAs in August, you may have noticed that a number of celebrity guests were accompanied by some pretty fabulous, furry friends. Everyone from Charlamagne Tha God and Carly Aquilino, to Vanessa Hudgens and Bella Thorne could be spotted getting some love from some very adorable, very adoptable pups.
That’s because MTV2 recently partnered up with The Shelter Pet Project to raise awareness about all the dogs and cats available at shelters and rescues around the nation. A collaborative effort by the Humane Society of the United States, Maddie’s Fund®, and the Ad Council, The Shelter Pet Project aims to make shelters the first choice for anyone looking for a pet (or two…or three).
37 percent of dogs and 46 percent of cats in American homes were adopted from shelters or rescue groups. That number sounds great until you realize there are still 2.4 million healthy or treatable dogs and cats in shelters who need our help to find homes each year. To have all those loving animals stuck without families of their own—well, it just ain’t right. The Shelter Pet Project’s goal is not just to decrease that number, but bring it all the way to zero.
How can they possibly do that? Well, it starts with you. Every individual or family who adopts a dog or cat from a shelter is helping to bring the problem of homeless pets to an end. And if you think pets from shelters are all “damaged goods,” nothing could be further from the truth. You don’t need to take our word for it. Check out the video below to meet Rex, a shelter pet who found a loving family. There are many pets with joy in their hearts just like Rex who are still in shelters. Just think about how much a shelter dog or cat would add to your family!
To learn more about The Shelter Pet Project, and find hilarious and spirited friends looking for a home, visit TheShelterPetProject.org. We can make homeless pets a thing of the past. It all starts with one adoption.
